An unusual witness testified before the Russian Duma recently on a topic — legislative oversight — that is not frequently discussed in the Russian parliament.

She was Constance Morella, former U.S. representative from Maryland, who appeared before the Duma on behalf of a bill that would increase "parliamentary control," or what Americans call congressional oversight — an important legislative branch check on executive authority. In Russia, the president wields considerable power, and the legislative and judicial branches have historically been far weaker than the executive branch at all levels of government.

Morella was invited to testify by Just Russia, the political party that drafted the bill. NDI has worked with Just Russia for the past two years on issues of democratic governance. Just Russia hoped the hearing, which also included testimony from members of the European parliament and Bulgarian parliaments would draw enough attention to the issue to get the majority party, United Russia, to agree to formally introduce the bill in the Duma. Although United Russia has opposed the bill, there are signs that the presidential administration may be open to its moving forward. Having high-profile witnesses was an important step toward raising awareness of the issue in the Duma and with United Russia.

Morella served in Congress for 16 years and later became U.S. ambassador to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). She is now on the faculty at American University in Washington, DC, and is an active advocate for increasing women’s participation in politics.

Morella shared her experiences with the oversight process gleaned through her years on the House Committee on Government Reform, which has jurisdiction over federal procurement and can hold oversight hearings on virtually everything the government does.

"In the U.S. there is no single constitutional provision or law on legislative oversight," she told the Duma. "Rather, oversight by our Congress today occurs through such practices as the budget/appropriations process and congressional investigations."

She also drew on her experience as ambassador to the OECD, which, during her tenure, had encouraged Russia to join, provided it met the membership standards for oversight and legislative reform. Russia still is not a member.

During her trip, Morella also met with civil society organizations about their efforts to increase government transparency and oversight. She emphasized the need for these groups to communicate with the electorate so citizens can become better advocates for change. "The people don’t know what’s going on," she said upon her return. "They just see that there’s a lot of corruption. I think you have to have voices coming from the people." She recommended that civil society groups reach out to citizens through town meetings, social media and traditional media to educate them on issues so they can have more of an impact on legislation to increase transparency and curb corruption.

Related:

• Russian journalists look at American media in U.S. study tour»
• NDI supports House Democracy Partnership in sharing good practice»
• Transparency and good governance in African extractive industries»

Pictured above: Morella testifies before the Duma seated next to Boris Guseletov, a Just Russia Party official.

Published May 3, 2011